Airport gate agents & carry ons

[Anonymous]

United gate agents are the earliest of any airline to start gate checking. Then you get on the plane and the bins are 2/3 empty and the flight attendants have no clue why the gate agents are checking.

We have a separate pet peeve. We always check our suitcases and through credit cards with annual fees we always have early boarding groups. We like to put our backpack/totebag in the overhead bin to maximize our legroom. I was allowed to bring two items on board. Why are we constantly getting told by flight attendants we can’t put our soft bags up there? I boarded early and took one small spot. Why does someone who boarded last with a giant rollabord get to bump my tote bag? Why does he get a slot and I don’t? I’ve started bringing an extra empty bag to stick under my seat so that I “can’t” take the bag back down from the overhead bin. Then once boarding is complete, fold up the empty bag and enjoy my legroom.

[Anonymous]

More often than not I get asked at the check-in desk if I want to check my carry on for free, not due to a size issue because it's a fine size. They just say nicely there is limited cabin space and it would help. I usually do but I don't see it as a negative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More often than not I get asked at the check-in desk if I want to check my carry on for free, not due to a size issue because it's a fine size. They just say nicely there is limited cabin space and it would help. I usually do but I don't see it as a negative.

Exactly. They should charge for carryon and not checked bags.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:More often than not I get asked at the check-in desk if I want to check my carry on for free, not due to a size issue because it's a fine size. They just say nicely there is limited cabin space and it would help. I usually do but I don't see it as a negative.

I do. Waiting for checked bags takes forever at some airports. I avoid checked bags whenever I can.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More often than not I get asked at the check-in desk if I want to check my carry on for free, not due to a size issue because it's a fine size. They just say nicely there is limited cabin space and it would help. I usually do but I don't see it as a negative.

I do. Waiting for checked bags takes forever at some airports. I avoid checked bags whenever I can.

Which is exactly why they should charge to bring bags on board.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More often than not I get asked at the check-in desk if I want to check my carry on for free, not due to a size issue because it's a fine size. They just say nicely there is limited cabin space and it would help. I usually do but I don't see it as a negative.

I do. Waiting for checked bags takes forever at some airports. I avoid checked bags whenever I can.

Which is exactly why they should charge to bring bags on board.

I’m fine with that. I’d pay.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should know they don’t make any revenue from bags checked at the gate in such a way.

I think they “try” as often as they can, before they have to “force” people to check their carryons. I think they just figure it’s easier to ask and get someone who is willing, than to have to force everyone after a certain point. Plus it streamlines the process if they can intermittently check 20 bags as opposed to forcefully checking 20 bags towards the end of the boarding process, all at once, when time is already of the essence.

—Flight attendant

The problem is that they tend to disproportionately and unfairly target women with these “requests” (probably because they anticipate that they‘ll be less likely to push back)

That's 99.999% most likely the reason. They've been told "we need 20 bags to be checked" (why is IT ALWAYS 20? ) and they want to make it happen smoothly for them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What kind of bag is it? Maybe time for a new bag if its 15 years old.

Have you owned a Tumi or Briggs& Riley? They last forever. That is why you pay so much for them

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Couple things.
1) I think it is human nature that gate agents try to approach people who aren’t going to flip out on them who look cooperative to help out. Your smiles and politeness may be giving off this vibe.
2) If you are in one of the earlier boarding groups I wouldn’t think they would make this request of you and if you’re not, anyone is fair game.
3) you can continue to patiently show them your bag is the correct size with the sizer
4) having to gate check a bag is really not that big of a deal, especially if you have a decent size purse to put important items
5) being a petite sized younger aged female confers a LOT of better treatment in nearly every other area of life compared to everyone else. You don’t realize this must likely because you haven’t walked in anyone else’s shoes. But the feeling you’re feeling in this one singular area of life is contrasted by your excellent treatment compared to obese people, older people, etc etc. Obviously that doesn’t make any of this ok, but most people don’t get the good treatment you’re used to getting most of the time.

How about you trust that the people who have walked in petite women's shoes know what they're talking about?

[Anonymous]

I dont get the big deal. If it fits, you put it in the sizer and move on with your day. This seems like an odd thing to have a temper tantrum about when its got such a simple solution.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Flight attendants and gate attendants definitely treat white women worse than white men. My friends and I have exchanged numerous stories like the ones above.

I am specifying race because I don’t know how it plays out with different races

I’m the FA PP from upthread, and I couldn’t disagree more. I can’t speak for gate agents, but I have so many female and gay coworkers who go out of their way to deliberately screw with business men, in particular, because they are so self-important, and who are quite protective of solo women travelers.

Sorry, FA pp, but while you and your friends may be all about “girl power” it’s simply not the experience for most of us female frequent fliers, who are regularly expected to be more accommodating and blatantly given inferior treatment to men flying in the same class of service.

Just look at the incident that went viral when the pregnant wife of a pro baseball player was told by the flight attendants she needed to get on the ground to clean up all the popcorn her child spilled on a flight. Whether you want to characterize her as entitled or not, do you really think if it was a man traveling alone with a child they would have treated him the same way?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you're the highest status, you're boarding early. Politely ask them for their names so that you can complain about their harassment. Be polite about it. You're just about the only type of flyer that airlines actually care about

Airline employees only care about status and pleasing members insofar as it relates to them losing or not losing their jobs for upsetting them. The airline cares 1000% more about on-time numbers, more so than it cares whether a status member is a little annoyed they were made to check their bag to ensure an on-time departure. Don’t kid yourself; you are a number, and not the one that matters.

Regular business travelers- op says she flies weekly- who complain to corporate about being targeted because of gender and name a name are the travelers airlines care about. Those are the most reliably profitable customers they have. They do not care about leisure travelers or travelers using points or occasional first class passengers, they do care about people like OP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What kind of bag is it? Maybe time for a new bag if it’s 15 years old.

Briggs & Riley

I’m OP and it’s a samsonite. It’s in great shape, why would I replace it? (As an aside, we also purchased a new samsonite 2 years ago for a trip abroad and it started to rip after 3 trips. They don’t make em like they used to!)

Also to other PPs - yes, I am white, and totally the same experience when traveling with my DH - who has NO status and never gets questioned. I’m feeling a little better/validated that it’s not just me.

I just got rid of a 25 yer old Samsonite which was admittedly falling apart - I went through 3-5 newer ones in 1/10 of the time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I dont get the big deal. If it fits, you put it in the sizer and move on with your day. This seems like an odd thing to have a temper tantrum about when its got such a simple solution.

How about the cases when the airlines “reserve the right to check carry on bags even if they are appropriately sized” because of a full flight and then almost exclusively pull aside women to demand that they check said bags while allowing others boarding at the same time to take on similar/larger sized bags.

[Anonymous]

I'd estimate that at least 50% of the time I approach to pre-board, I'm told "excuse me this is for Global Services/1k". Yes, I know, I'm GS! I also happen to be a younger looking woman shorter than 5 ft.

It's not just at airports, many places treat smaller women as if we are children or don't take us seriously.